The Real World
by Hoffiee
Summary: Aria is finally graduating, time to start afresh and leave the dark times of high school behind her. Set over the summer break; Ezra has an accident and Byron and Ella leave travelling around the country for six weeks. My first fanfic, please be nice!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Aria couldn't wait until her graduation ceremony was over. As she was listening to the principal read out the names of the graduating students she looked over at her three best friends sitting next to her, Hanna, Emily and Spencer. They were all wearing the same robes and caps as her, dark blue with yellow caps.

"Emily Fields." The principal's voice boomed across the hall.

Emily stood up and gave a small smile to her three friends as her father wolf whistled and she laughed before proudly walking up and accepting her certificate of graduation and then returned to her seat as the names continued to be called.

"Spencer Hastings." The principal called out her name.

Spencer did the same after Toby gave a loud cheer and then returned to her seat. Aria was scanning the crowd looking for him, he said he would be here, but she couldn't see him or her parents yet. Hanna gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze, she knew all her friends knew what she was doing and it probably wasn't very subtle. She didn't care, he wasn't here and she slumped in her seat. She thought of all their future plans and talk about her graduation. The principal calling out Hanna's name interrupted her thoughts. She gave Hanna a grin and pat on the back as she got up and walked past her to the stage. When she returned Toby's name was called out, and Spencer returned the favour and cheered for him. Aria couldn't help but laugh at how red Toby went, he wasn't used to getting recognised. Aria saw Jenna walking back to her seat after she waited for Toby to walk past her so she could give him a hug. Their relationship as brother and sister had never been better just before Toby was about to move out. Aria gave Jenna a small wave and Jenna returned the gesture.

Aria heard her name being called out and sighed and stood up. She heard a number of people cheering for her and turned to the sound. Then she saw her brother Mike, her parents Byron and Ella, and there he was, Ezra was sitting right next to his parents and they were all standing cheering for her. Her face lit up and she had a huge smile on her face. She was so distracted with them that she almost ran into a chair. She quickly recovered after she heard her friends laughing and then proceeded up to the stage, was congratulated by the principal and handed her certificate, she posed for a photo, never taking her eyes off Ezra for too long, and the huge smile on her face never changed. It was only once she was seated again her smile went, she couldn't see any of them, especially Ezra from her seat without turning around and even then she only got a glimpse of Mike's hair. The rest of the ceremony dragged on, until it came to the few student speeches at the end. Spencer was speaking about her journey through high school.

"High school will be a significant part of my life, I can say that right now with truth. I found my best friends, who I'm sure this time in about 70 years we'll still be together, laughing and joking, and Hanna dragging us into shops." She stopped to laugh as everyone else did. "And we've been through the hardest times in my life, and those moments will still be some of the hardest at the end of my life, but I'm looking forward to graduating and finishing up in high school. I'm ready to tackle the world, and everything in it. With my friends right by my side and some sort of information I've learnt over the years. I'm ready, let's go!" Everyone cheered and Spencer took a small bow and returned to her seat. Then came the time for the graduating class to finish and throw their caps in the air. Aria was smiling; she knew finally the dark times of high school were over. She threw her cap up in the air and all her friends had a group hug.

They didn't break their embrace until Aria felt two strong hands around her waist and all her friends groaned at the sight. She jumped and then her huge smile returned, she knew who was the owner of these familiar hands, and spun around and was in Ezra's arms. She stared into his amazing eyes, and brushed his fringe like she always does. He was staring back at her, as he always does in complete awe. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he tightened his grip around her waist and pulled him into a long, passion-filled kiss.

"Will you two get a room, I still find it weird that you were once my English teacher." Spencer teased. Aria and Ezra broke apart and they both gave their friends a sheepish grin. When Aria told her three best friends last year that she was dating their English teacher they wouldn't believe it. It was only until Aria wouldn't shut up about him whenever she was with her friends did they believe she was head over heels in love with him. And then they kissed at the masquerade ball, without their masks on; in front of practically the whole school they definitely believed her. After that Ezra often came with Aria when she went out with Spencer and Toby, Hanna and Caleb, and Emily and Mona in Philadelphia or pretty much anywhere.

"Yeah, some other people might get jealous cough cough Jenna." Toby added with a smirk. Aria gave him a gentle whack on the arm that was securely wrapped around Spencer and Ezra's face went red, even though he was very attractive, he couldn't believe so many of his female students had a crush on him, well everyone but Aria.

The laughing subsided when the parents and family arrived, and each person was separated for a short while as their parents smothered them in kisses and hugs and smiles. Ezra kept his arm around Aria's waist as much as he could, and when Aria was pulled into a conversation with Spencer, Hanna and Emily and their parents Ezra stood off to the side. Byron was still a little uneasy about the Ezria relationship but he decided, with some persuading by his wife that he would respect them. After all, Ezra is a very well mannered gentleman and seemed to be perfect for his daughter, with one flaw. He was her old English teacher and the age difference. But Ella had convinced him that it wasn't as bad as he thought, and Aria's attitude had improved significantly once Byron and Ella told her that they wouldn't mind Aria seeing him, as long as she didn't sleep at his house and told them where she was going at the start of her senior year. Aria was always extremely happy now, and had been all year since that moment, so Byron couldn't complain. Ezra was thinking about this as he was fiddling with the red tie Aria had so sneakily gave him while he was supervising an exam last year, when Byron came over to him.

"She's finally out of school, I can't believe it. And to think you two have been together for two years." Byron gave him a pat on the back and a smirk.

Ezra laughed and agreed, his eyes never leaving Aria. Until Mike came and gave him a light punch on the arm and Ezra greeted him with a ruffle of the hair. Mike was one of the first to accept and like that his sister was dating Ezra. Mike felt like Ezra was his big brother and they'd gotten along well after Mike apologised about a thousand times about punching him in the face last year. Byron looked on as Ezra and Mike played around and smiled, and then his eyes looked towards Aria. She'd finally got through to him at the end of last year, she was right, she's not his little girl anymore, and she's graduating!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After the graduation ceremony had finished, and the group of friends and their families had finally made it out of the hall, Aria suggested them going out to celebrate. They all agreed to go home and get changed and meet up in half an hour. Toby left with Spencer, Caleb left with Hanna, Mona left with her family, Emily left with her parents and Aria went to Ezra's car. They drove home in comfortable silence with Aria snuggled up to Ezra.

"I didn't think you were coming tonight, I looked around like crazy for half the ceremony until Hanna told me I wasn't being very subtle." Aria said as she felt Ezra's chest shake from laughter and he shook his head.

"I was there since the start, actually I got there a few minutes late, there was no car parks, but your brother saved me a seat." Ezra replied and gave her head a soft kiss. Aria smiled, Mike kept Aria's secret that she was sneaking out to see Ezra when she was supposed to be with Holden for most of the year last year, he liked Ezra and loved the idea of Ezria. They reached Aria's house and when Aria went into the bathroom to change Ezra flopped onto the bed. As much as he loved this tie, he knew how much Aria loved it when his top button was undone and his tie was loosened, so he did that and then walked to Mike's door and knocked.

"What do you want?" Mike grunted from his room.

"That's not the way to treat a guest Mike," Ezra laughed and then heard Mike jump up from his bed and run to the door and swung it open.

"Oh hey Mr. Fitz," Mike smirked, Ezra hated when he called him that, he wasn't a teacher anymore, but Mike loved to call him it. Mike let him in and went back to throwing paper into the bin across the room. Ezra joined in until Aria poked her head in the door saying she was ready.

"Excuse me Mike, but can I have my boyfriend back, or are you two in a bromance thing again," Aria laughed, she loved how close Ezra and Mike were, but Ezra looked like a mess. She grabbed his hand and led him into her room to fix his shirt and hair. As she was brushing his hair to the side he surprised her by lifting her up and kissing her. Aria squealed but then wrapped her arms around his neck and he put her down, not breaking the passionate kiss and pulled her tightly to him. They stopped when they were out of breath and Aria laughed and walked into the bathroom as Mike popped his head in the door. He suddenly burst out laughing.

"What?" Ezra demanded, suddenly feeling self-conscious as Mike continued to laugh. Aria came back with tissues and he became aware of the feeling of something on his face, he looked in the mirror and a shocked reflection looked back at him, with Aria's bright red lipstick on his face. He started laughing with Mike and Aria. She wiped away the lipstick, fixed his hair and again and fixed his tie a little so it was a little tighter.

"Let's go, before we're late." Aria said as she grabbed her things and said goodbye to Mike. Ezra followed and gave Mike's hair another ruffle before fist-bumping him and then walked down the stairs to where Aria was talking to her parents. They said goodbye and Ezra shook Byron's hand, and Ella gave Ezra a hug.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Spencer and Toby were already there, which didn't surprise Aria; Spencer was always early for everything. Her and Ezra had managed to get there a few minutes before they were supposed to meet and so Aria and Ezra had stayed in his warm car cuddling until Hanna knocked on Aria's window and made her jump and her head had hit Ezra's jaw and he bit his tongue. Aria gave Hanna a dirty look that just grinned back and then she grabbed Caleb's hand and met Spencer and Toby. Ezra reluctantly got out of the car and met Aria outside her car door.

"Hey look, the first star. Make a wish Aria." Ezra whispered into her ear and he guided her out of the car park.

"All my wishes have come true." She replied, and smiled up at Ezra. They reached the table full of friends and then ordered their meals. They all chatted, joked and laughed around until their food was ready. The food didn't last long, the graduation ceremony had gone for a few hours and they hadn't eaten since lunch. After the table was cleared the group decided to go to the movies down the road.

"I think I need to walk there, that was a massive meal." Hanna said, rubbing her stomach. Caleb and most of the others nodded, and so they all paid and left, and walked to the nearby cinema. Even though it was summer, it was chilly and soon Aria was shivering, Ezra was rubbing her bare arms, which didn't seem to be doing much. He took off his sweater and gave it to her, and it was quite big on her.

"Hey Aria nice dress," Hanna laughed, along with the rest, Aria included.

"At least I'm nice and warm." Aria replied, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Once they got to the cinema Aria gave Ezra his sweater back and he quickly put it back on, he didn't realise how cold it was without it. They all agreed on a movie and bought the tickets, drinks and popcorn and soon were sitting in the warm cinema. Aria lifted the armrest and moved closer to Ezra, who wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer with a kiss on the forehead. Aria smiled when she saw her three best friends do the same to their partners. A scary scene came on during the movie and Hanna screamed, which made Aria jump and hit Ezra's jaw again.

"Ouch, I'm going to have to find a new spot to rest my head whenever Hanna is around" Ezra laughed and so did Aria, who finished scowling at Hanna.

"I'm sorry, no don't move your head, I like it there," Aria mumbled into his chest as another scary part was on, and Ezra only gave her head another kiss and pulled her tighter.

Once the movie was finished Ezra looked at his watch. It was 11pm, time to get Aria home, even though it was a Friday, he didn't want to upset her parents by bringing her home too late.

"Okay, I better get you home, your dad will probably be sitting by the front door." Ezra joked, Aria laughed and nodded.

"You're probably right. Alright guys, I'll see you tomorrow or sometime." Aria said to the group and everyone else said goodbye, they were going to hang around for a little longer in a close diner. Ezra took off his sweater and gave it to Aria, noticing her starting to shiver again, she thanked him and then laced her fingers in his and they quickly walked to Ezra's car. Aria snuggled up to him again in the car as she always does. She must've fallen asleep because she was woken by Ezra's gentle shake and whispering in her ear.

"Aria. Come on Aria, wake up." Aria looked around and realised where she was and yawned. She didn't think she was that tired, but turned out she obviously was. Ezra was at her door opening it for her, and he pulled her to him when they reached her porch. She instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck and he pulled her to him and before they kissed, he looked into her eyes and smiled.

"God I love you Aria Montgomery." Ezra said sincerely, and Aria's huge smile returned to her face.

"I love you too Mr. Ezra Fitz" Aria said, then laughed and stood on her tiptoes to reach his mouth, and he bent down and they were kissing with such love and affection Aria didn't want to stop even though she couldn't breathe. Ezra's breath was ragged as he pulled Aria's head to his chest and held her tight as they got their breath back, and after one more kiss Ezra had to leave when he heard Byron in the entry coming to the door. He gave her another quick hug and said goodbye just as Byron opened the door.

"Sorry she was out late, the movie finished at about 11" Ezra said to Byron who smiled, nodded and waved as Ezra walked back to his car. He was about to get in when Byron called him back, Ezra gulped, but as he turned around he saw his sweater in Byron's hand and realised Aria had still been wearing it. He quickly walked to the door, grabbed it and thanked Byron, and then put it on as he was walking to the car.

Aria stood at her window as she watched Ezra get in his car and drive off, with a smile on her face. Now she didn't have school, she could spend pretty much every day with him and her friends for the next 3 months.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next day Aria woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting from the kitchen downstairs, and looked at the clock to see it was 10am. She yawned and went into the bathroom to wash her face. She walked downstairs and froze when she saw the table set. She was standing there in her pj's with bed hair and probably bad breath. Is someone supposed to be coming over? She thought to herself as she counted the extra setting at the table. She cautiously walked into the kitchen and her jaw dropped when she saw Ezra and Ella cooking bacon and Mike and Byron toasting bread. She smiled at the sight of Ezra cooking with her family, and then she remembered what her reflection looked like and went red just as Ezra looked over to her. He smiled as she ducked behind the corner, but not after he'd seen her after she just got out of bed. He'd never seen her in this state because she couldn't stay the night. He walked over to the corner and peaked his head around, inches from Aria's face.

"Good morning. You look beautiful, as always," he whispered as he smiled at her. Before she could object to his statement, he kissed her on the lips, very wary that her parents were only a few meters away. He then moved up to kiss her on the forehead as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I don't agree, but if you say so. You're always right," she mumbled into Ezra's chest. She felt Ezra let out a chuckle and then he kissed her head again.

"Hmm, that's probably why I became a teacher, lucky for me," Ezra teased. Before Aria could say anything else Ella's voice came from the kitchen.

"Ezra, can you come help me get all this onto a dish and on the table?" Ezra sighed and let go of Aria, after one last quick peck on the lips he went into the kitchen to help. Aria ran up the stairs and changed quickly and brushed her hair, even though Ezra had said she looked fine, she didn't think she did. When she returned to the kitchen she saw Mike almost drop a piece of toast that had just come out of the toaster, and she laughed.

"Can I help with anything?" Aria asked everyone in the kitchen, and they all replied with a shake of the head. Soon enough, they were all seated at the table; Ella and Mike were sitting opposite Aria and Ezra, with Byron at the head of the table. They made small talk while they ate and Ezra and Mike kept giving each other funny looks as they usually do, trying to make the other laugh. Once they were done Aria thanked them, then asked,

"But why did you invite Ezra over for breakfast?" she mainly directed this at her mum, because it was probably her idea, but she liked the idea nevertheless. She saw Mike nod his head as well, as if he didn't have any idea as to why Ezra was over.

"Well your mother and I decided to go on holidays. Six weeks travelling around the country, and we wanted to make sure you and Mike can survive for that long by yourselves, and then your mother reminded me Ezra has been doing it for a while, so we though he could help you out a bit, if that's okay with you Ezra?" Byron said, then looked at a surprised Ezra.

"Oh yeah sure it's pretty easy but I'll definitely help out," he replied with a smile.

"Great. Now. Some rules, while all three of you are here," Byron said sternly, "No visitors of the other gender here after midnight. So Mike, you can't have Maya over after midnight, or any other of your girl friends, and Ezra, you'll have to be out of here by midnight, no exceptions," Byron continued after he saw Ezra nodding, "Aria, none of your friends' boyfriends over here after midnight either," he paused until Aria agreed, "Great. Either your mum or I will call every night at about 9, to make sure you're okay and you haven't killed each other or burnt the house down. No big heaps of dirty clothes wash at least twice a week. Aria you cook one night, Mike the next, and if Ezra's over I'm sure he won't mind helping either one cook, and then whoever cooks, the other cleans and then you swap every night." Byron stopped, short of breath as everyone agreed and nodded, "And there should only be a few bills in the mail, if you get one you make sure you call us or tell us when we call. If you're going out at night, text us and make sure you both have a key and you both know where the other is at all times," Byron directed this to his children, and they both smiled and nodded, "Okay I think that's it, did I miss anything?" Byron asked everyone, who all shook their heads, then Ezra had a thought.

"What about shopping and groceries? I can go if you guys make a list like once a week or something?" Ezra asked, firstly to Byron then suggested to Aria and Mike, who both nodded.

"Yes thanks for reminding me, Aria I'll put $200 in your bank account every two weeks, this is for food only, or anything you need around the house while we're gone," Byron stated as he looked at his daughter, who laughed, but nodded and agreed again. There was a bit more discussion but finally Byron had finished and Aria excused herself and Ezra, and they went up to her bedroom. She was picking out what to wear when she felt Ezra's hands wrap around her waist and he pressed himself up against her tightly, not moving her out of reach of her wardrobe. He kissed her head as she held two options up, deciding what to wear.

"Wear the one on the right," Ezra whispered into her ear, and Aria put the other option back and twisted around in Ezra's arms so she was facing him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and his now loosened grip on her tightened and pulled her close. She reached up for a kiss and he bent down and took her lips in a tender kiss.

"Urgh gross. You're my sister, and you used to be my teacher. Just because the door is open doesn't mean you can go all, well whatever it is you're doing," Mike teased from his position slouching on the doorframe. Ezra and Aria laughed and pulled away to face him, but Ezra didn't let go of Aria.

"I don't suppose you're doing anything while she changes?" Mike questioned Ezra with a raised eyebrow, and Ezra only innocently shrugged, he was just going to lie on her bed but Mike obviously has something planned.

"Excellent, Aria he'll be back soon, take your time doing whatever it is that takes you so long to get ready," Mike shouted as he walked down the hall, and Ezra gave Aria a quick peck on the lips and then followed Mike into his room. Turns out Mike had an English assignment to do over the break, and he wanted to know if Ezra had the book. As usual, at the mention of books Ezra went kind of crazy and plunged into a massive speech on the book Mike needed. Mike didn't think he was ever going to shut up, until Aria turned up and gave Mike an apologetic look, and after Mike fist-bumped Ezra, Aria took his hand and laced her fingers between his and they went downstairs to where Byron was reading a paper and Ella was drinking coffee.

"Mum, Dad? I'm going over to Spencer's for a while, I'll be back later," Aria shouted out to them and Ezra too called out a goodbye, and then they headed for Ezra's car.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When they arrived at Spencer's house, Ezra was glad to see Wren sitting at the kitchen bench finishing up a piece of toast. Aria had brought him along because he was with her before and he thought they'd want some time alone, so Ezra said he'd sit with Wren for a while until they were finished, so he sat beside Wren.

"Hey Wren, anything exciting?" He asked, pointing to the paper Wren had just put down.

"Nope not really, oh but there is a little article about the graduating class. I was actually about to make a coffee, I'm on night shift tonight at the hospital, do you want one?" Wren asked, and Ezra smiled and nodded as he picked up the paper and looked at the photo, instantly finding Aria's smiling face, and he too grinned.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Aria said as she saw Ezra grinning at the paper, she came behind him and looked over his shoulder at the photo and she too smiled. Spencer's curious face appeared beside Aria's, and the girls studied the picture once Ezra handed it to them.

"Hmm, where are the scissors." Spencer wondered out loud, looking in the drawers.

"Oh Melissa was using them yesterday, she's probably left them out there," Wren answered once he remembered, and he went outside to his and Melissa's makeshift apartment to find them. Just then there was a knock on the door and Spencer rushed to it, knowing who was on the other side of the door. She returned with Toby close behind. They all sat at the bench and after a while of talking Toby's stomach growled, and they all laughed.

"Sorry guys, Jenna made me go for a run so I didn't get any breakfast," Toby said, sheepishly, and shrugged. Spencer suggested going out for lunch, and Aria called Hanna to see if she was busy, but it turned out Hanna was dragging Caleb shopping, and Emily had said her and Mona were at a swimming practice today so after Wren returned with the scissors in his hand, and Spencer had cut out the photo of the gradating class and stuck it on the fridge, the two couples left for the local pub. Wren had declined, he just woke up Melissa and she wanted him to do something. Ezra drove Aria, Spencer and Toby to the pub and then soon they were ordering lunch.

"Can I get a cheeseburger please?" Aria called out to the man behind the bar, and her and Ezra exchanged a knowing look and they both smiled, Spencer just rolled her eyes, Aria had only told her about a million times of how her and Ezra met in this bar after she ordered a cheeseburger.

"Too bad there's people in here, so you two can't do your thing in the girls bathroom this time," Spencer teased, and Aria was shocked and her jaw fell, she was instantly embarrassed. Aria hadn't been vague on the details of that event either. They laughed and joked around while they ate and after they were finished Toby had to drop Spencer home, so Aria called her dad to ask him if she could go to Ezra's and stay for dinner, which he agreed to as they were packing anyway. Once in Ezra's car, Aria snuggled up to Ezra as he drove to his apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When they arrived, Ezra suggested watching a movie, and Aria agreed as long as he would pick because she picked last time. Ezra picked a movie and soon they were watching it, with Ezra holding Aria tightly to him. After the movie finished they continued to sit on the couch in comfortable silence listening to the other breathe, neither one wanting to break the contact. Ezra finally broke the silence.

"So you're sure you're going to Hollis at the end of summer?" He asked after kissing her forehead.

"Yeah I got the acceptance letter yesterday, and Spencer will probably be in one of my classes and Emily is going to be there too hopefully," Aria smiled at the thought of being with two of her best friends as they go into college. Hanna is the only one not going to college as she got a job waiting for her in Philadelphia in a clothing line after summer ends.

"That's good, let's hope I'm not your teacher this time," Ezra quietly laughed. Even though it wasn't against the rules to date your student or professor, both Ezra and Aria didn't want to be looked down on because of it and it's Aria's chance to escape the reputation she had back at high school. At the thought of her dark times during high school, she shuddered.

"You cold?" Ezra asked as he brushed her hair off her face and kissed her forehead again. He'd been told his apartment was always cold.

"A little, but I was just thinking," Aria replied, shaking her head a little. Ezra got up and went into the kitchen, where he called out,

"Would you like a coffee or something?" Ezra almost fell asleep during the movie, he'd gotten home late last night after dropping Aria off, then when he was finally home he couldn't sleep, so he read a book until about 3am, then was woken by his phone just before 9am when Ella invited him over for breakfast, and he couldn't refuse that.

"No thanks, but I think I'm going to lie in your bed, it's kind of cold out here now," Aria called back, interrupting Ezra's thoughts and she walked past and gave him a quick kiss, Ezra deepened the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands around her waist and pulled her closer, then he hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his back and he put her down on the bench, without breaking the kiss. They broke apart when the kettle boiled, scaring Aria with the unexpected noise, and Ezra just grinned as he made a coffee, Aria jumped down and walked down the hall.

"You know where to find me," Aria called as she poked her head around the corner. Ezra heard her flop onto his bed, the springs squeaking. He walked in with his coffee and put in on the nightstand and crawled into bed with Aria who was reading the blurb on a book, and when he came in she put it down with a smile. He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair aside, then made his way down to her lips, without breaking contact she moved so she was under him, and laced her fingers in his.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" Ezra mumbled when they finally broke apart, not trusting his voice enough fully to speak with a louder volume. Aria loosened the tie as she pulled him to her, and soon the tie was thrown to the floor, Ezra laughed before capturing Aria's lips in his once again. Aria began unbuttoning his shirt, and he did the same to her shirt, they broke apart to get rid of their shirts, Aria's hand travelled across Ezra's bare back and he once again pushed her hair out of her face and he took possession of her lips once more. Ezra felt her beginning to unbuckle his belt, and his hands travelled to her bra and undid it as she pulled his fly down to take off his pants. He slid easily out of his pants and she disregarded her bra. Once his pants were on the floor Ezra lightly kissed her neck, travelling along her artery and then returning to her lips once more. He tugged at her pants as she tugged at his boxers, and they were quickly thrown off onto the floor. Ezra began caressing her breasts as she moaned quietly, she wound her hand in his hair and gently pulled his head to hers, and they began a deep kiss, and when they were both gasping for air they broke apart.

"I love you so much, and I have you all summer," Aria said as she smiled and ran her hands along his chest, and kissed him again before removing her underwear and throwing them on the floor. He took her hand in his and slowly entered her as they both let out a loud moan. Aria arched against him and soon they were in sync. When they both reached their peaks at the same time they cried out in pleasure. Ezra flopped onto the bed next to her, not letting go of her hand. They both lay there for a minute, getting their breath back, before Ezra turned to her and smiled. He traced his finger along Aria's arm and brushed her hair back.

"I love you way too damn much Aria," Ezra said as he grinned, "My coffee is probably cold now," he teased. Aria laughed and rested her head on his chest.

"I love you way too much too Ezra," Aria mumbled into his chest before giving it a light kiss, that set off a tingling sensation all over Ezra's chest. He was stroking her hair when his phone rang. He jumped out of bed and put on some boxers, then answered. Aria lay in his bed looking at the ceiling, and then decided to put one of Ezra's shirts on. She'd just gotten it on when Ezra came back smiling; they both made their way back to the bed and lay together.

"Why are you smiling so much?" Aria asked, looking into Ezra's eyes, she too was smiling.

"Because I love you, and I just got my job confirmed, I'm still teaching at Hollis next year," Ezra replied, kissing her on the forehead, and then held her head to his chest. She could hear his heart beating as fast as she could feel hers beating. She smiled and then her stomach grumbled. She looked at the alarm clock next to the bed and saw it was almost time for dinner.  
"Should I order Chinese or do you want to go out somewhere?" Ezra laughed, and Aria hid her face in his chest, embarrassed.

"Chinese sounds good to me," she mumbled into his soft skin. She couldn't resist the urge to kiss it so she gave it one last gentle kiss before Ezra went to order. Aria found all her clothes and put them in a pile. Ezra got off the phone and came back into the room and wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed the back of her head.

"How long until the food's ready?" Aria asked, turning around in his arms to look at Ezra.

"It's really busy tonight so they said at least 20 minutes," Ezra replied and kissed her forehead, she smiled.

"Okay. Time for a shower then," Aria reached up for a quick kiss and then grabbed her clothes.

"Excellent, let's go," Ezra said and smirked, Aria realized he was serious and nodded.

"Good, I've never been able to figure out your hot water anyway," Aria said, and Ezra laughed. It took him a few weeks until he figured it out too, but he wasn't about to say that, instead, he laced his fingers in Aria's and led her to the bathroom. Soon the bathroom was steamy with hot water vapor and Ezra was standing under the hot water with Aria's head to his chest. They stood like that for a few minutes and then Aria felt how turned on Ezra was on her leg and she laughed sheepishly, and Ezra just grinned and shrugged.

"I told you how much I love you, now you can see," Ezra said and Aria shook her head laughing. She kissed him and let some of the water run into their mouths as the deepened the kiss and soon Aria was hoisted up and her legs were wrapped around Ezra's waist, he had her pinned up against the wall and soon Aria pulled away, gasping for breath, water running down her face and her hair in her eyes. Ezra moved her hair behind her ear and turned the water off. Without moving her, Ezra walked out of the bathroom back into the bed. Something suddenly dawned on Aria as Ezra put her down onto the bed and was on top of her.

"What about the food?" Aria asked, thinking it's been about 20 minutes since Ezra ordered.

"Oh yeah. You can be very distracting you know," Ezra teased as he went back into the bathroom and grabbed two towels and handed one to Aria. Ezra wrapped the towel around his waist and Aria took a good look at him, he'd be working out, you could see the start of a 6 pack forming and his hair still dripping trails of water down his face and chest. Aria smiled and Ezra walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead and then dried himself and got changed. Aria did the same, sneaking glances at Ezra as he did up his belt and shirt. She couldn't help but smile. Once dressed, Ezra gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then headed out to get the Chinese from the best pace in town, down the road. Aria walked around the apartment and waited for Ezra to return. After 20 minutes she called Ezra to see what was taking so long, she thought it was just because of the crowd, he did say it was really busy tonight. When Aria heard Ezra's phone going off in the bedroom she sighed and hung up, he'd forgotten his phone, again. She sat on the couch and waited. Another 20 minutes she began to get worried and started pacing the house. How long does it take to get food, it takes like two minutes to drive there, she said to herself. That's when she heard the sirens.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Worried, she grabbed her phone and bag and walked out of the apartment and down to the road. She began walking towards the Chinese restaurant, Ezra had taken his car and she didn't have hers with her. She quickened her pace when she saw flashing lights in the direction of the restaurant. It seemed to take her forever to get there. But when she finally reached the source of the sirens, she saw it was an accident involving a car and a pedestrian. She screamed out when she saw the pedestrian was Ezra. She ran towards him, but two officers stopped her. She explained who she was, but they insisted on not letting her through. She could do nothing but pace back and forward until they got Ezra out from under the car wheel and onto a stretcher. Only then was she allowed to him, with tears streaming down her face she reached the stretcher in a second. Ezra's eyes were fluttering about and the paramedics were rushing him into the ambulance. They let her in the back to ride with him and she never once let go of his hand. He tried to talk to her but she hushed him. He looked like death and she didn't want him trying to talk and cause him more pain. She looked down at his leg and saw his shoe and sock off on his right foot, there was a lot of blood coming out of the bandage, she swayed a little until one of the paramedics gently shook her and asked her if she was alright.

"If he going to be okay? What happened? What's wrong with him?" Aria blurted out, she didn't want to hear how bad he was, especially while Ezra was laying right next to her but she had to know.

"I'm sure he'll be fine miss, we think he's broken a few ribs and his ankle isn't in good shape but you'll know more once we get him to the hospital and get him fixed up," he smiled at her. It made her feel a little relieved, but there was still a lot of blood for a broken ankle. She looked down at Ezra's pained face and brushed his hair to the side and smiled. He reached up and placed a shaky hand on her cheek. She held it there and he forced a smile on his face, even though it was obvious he was in pain. Aria kissed his hand and laid it back next to him. They arrived at the emergency room and the paramedic said she had a few seconds with him before she wouldn't see him for a while. She thanked him and then leaned down the Ezra and gently kissed him and brushed his hair to the side again.

"You're going to be okay. I love you, you're going to be fine, I'll be waiting," she whispered into his ear, and she heard him try to say 'I love you' but she stopped him halfway through, she knew what he was going to say, but didn't need to hear it if it was hard to speak. She just nodded and gave his forehead a kiss as the ambulance doors opened and Ezra was pushed out, only then Aria finally let his hand fall from her grip as she forced herself to smile to him as he looked at her. She walked into the emergency room's waiting room. Once she sat down, she decided it'd be a good idea to call her parents. They'd worry like crazy but she thought they and Mike would want to know. She got up and walked outside and called them. Her mum freaked out and her dad was shocked.

"Hold on Aria, we're leaving right now," Byron said, Aria could hear him rushing around the house while Ella yelled out to Mike to hurry up, "we'll be there as soon as we can, bye," Byron said and quickly hung up. Aria smiled, her parents would be here so she felt a bit better, and then she hurried back into the waiting room to wait for any news from Ezra. Soon Aria was sitting next to a worried Mike and Ella, Byron was pacing the waiting room. Aria had told them he possibly had a broken ankle and a few ribs but they didn't know for sure. Hours passed without any news, Aria looked expectantly at every person who came through the doors, hoping one of them had news of Ezra. Finally a male doctor came out, taking his gloves off. He found Aria and her family.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry some of these chapters have been short, I've never really been good at telling when a chapter starts and finishes, so I do the best I can at judging because I usually just write a story without chapters, but thanks for reading so far, I'm hoping to get a new chapter published every day or two.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"You're here for Ezra Fitz?" He asked them, and they all nodded quickly. "Okay well, he's resting now, I gave him something for the pain, you can go in soon, but don't wake him, he's extremely sore. He'll probably need to be in here for a few days until he regains some movement. He was extremely lucky; one of his broken ribs almost pierced his lungs, which would have resulted in a completely different outcome. Luckily for you all, we were able to set his ribs back to their original position, and fixed his leg. He has a small fracture right at the bottom of his leg, pretty much where the foot joins the leg and to the side, it did pop a vein, hence why there was a lot of blood in the ambulance. But now we've set that back in place and he won't be able to use it for a few weeks but after that he's expected to make a full recovery," the doctor explained, and then smiled. Aria thanked him and breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor left.

Aria went to the nurse and asked what room Ezra was in and after she was told she went there to see him, only one person was allowed in at a time and so Aria's parents and Mike sat on the seats outside until he woke up.

* * *

Aria sat by Ezra's bedside for hours. Her parents came in asking if she wanted to come home because visiting hours were over and they weren't allowed to sit in the corridor anymore. She shook her head and Mike came in with a coffee and some food from the cafeteria, and her stomach growled. She grinned thanks and eagerly took the food because she hadn't eaten since lunch. They gave her and Ezra a final worried glance and Aria forced a smile onto her face.

"I'll call you once he's awake," Aria promised her family before they left. She soon drifted off to sleep, only to be woken by a nurse. Aria looked at Ezra's face and noticed his eyes were flickering open. She jumped up and grabbed his hand, and she felt Ezra give her a squeeze. The nurse checked his vitals and breathing then left.

"Hey you, how you feeling?" Aria asked his face still looked pained.

"Like I just got run over," Ezra joked, trying to laugh but a sharp pain in his side stopped it short as he held a hand gingerly up to his side. Aria winced at his pain, brushed his hair to the side and kissed his forehead gently.

"Do you remember what happened?" Aria asked and Ezra tried to nod.

"Yeah, I was walking to the store because there was no car parks near, so I had to park up a bit, and then this car came out of nowhere. No taillights or headlights or anything. Next thing I know is I'm laying on the ground, blood pouring out of my leg and couldn't move because my ribs were all cracked, I heard them. Then you turned up and we went in the ambulance," Ezra explained, both cringing at the memory of all the blood on him. Aria nodded and kissed his cheek. She sat on an empty spot of Ezra's bed and kissed his hand.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried sick in that waiting room," Aria mumbled, and Ezra nodded and swept a bit of hair off her face.

"The doctor said you need rest, go back to sleep, I'll be right here when you wake up," Aria said and then smiled. She lay next to Ezra on his good side and rested her head next to his. She gave his cheek another kiss and he smiled.

"I'm so glad you're here. I hate hospitals," Ezra murmured. Soon they were both sleeping soundly. The nurse that came in to check on Ezra smiled at the sight of them sleeping, still holding hands. She should've asked Aria to move off the bed but she didn't want to disturb them in their peaceful state so she left smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Aria woke up to see Ezra smiling at her. She gave his lips a gentle kiss as he swept her hair off her face. She smiled back at him; he didn't look like he was in much pain anymore.

"Feeling better this morning?" Aria asked, brushing his hair to the side. He nodded in response and Aria smiled. Her phone rang and she jumped, she'd forgotten to tell her parents Ezra was awake. She excused herself outside with one last kiss. She answered the call; it was Hanna.

"Oh hey Hanna, what's up?" Aria hushed.

"Hey, why are you talking so quietly and I was wondering if you wanted to come shopping with me and Emily today?" Hanna asked.

"Oh Hanna, I wish I could but I'm kind of at the hospital," Aria mumbled and Hanna began to freak out, "No it's okay I'm fine, Ezra got hit by a car but he's okay now, I was going to call you guys this morning and tell you about it. He's broken a few ribs and the bottom of his leg. He's going to be fine in a few weeks but for now I think he's stuck in here a few more days." Aria explained and Hanna calmed down.

"Oh okay, tell him I send my best and I'll call the others and tell them?" Hanna asked, she'd always had a bit of a big mouth.

"Yeah okay thanks and I will, you can come up this afternoon if you want now he's awake he can have visitors?" Aria replied and Hanna agreed and said she had to go. Aria said goodbye and then called her parents, they would bring Mike up soon after breakfast. After the call, Aria walked back into the room and told Ezra about the phone calls.

"Good, it'll probably be really boring in here, so visitors sounds good to me, and you're here so I'm happy," Ezra said and pulled her to the bed and smiled. She kissed him and smiled back at him. They talked for a while and then Mike knocked on the door with coffee in his hand. Both Aria and Ezra grinned at him.

"Hey Fitz, I brought you a coffee, I found out last night the hospital coffee tastes like crap," Mike said and they all laughed, Ezra smiled as he stopped laughing and held a hand to his side again, forgetting his broken ribs. Mike and Aria's faces dropped when they saw him in pain and Mike shifted uncomfortably. He handed Aria a coffee and put Ezra's on his tray of untouched food. Byron and Ella entered with breakfast in their hands. Aria and Ezra's stomach's growled in unison at the sight of the food, neither one wanted the hospital food. Aria eagerly grabbed the bag of food and thanked her family before setting some food out for Ezra and then herself. Mike laughed as he watched Aria wolf down the food, and Aria became aware at how hungry she was. Ezra was tearing bits of food off and eating slowly. Aria finished her food at looked at Ezra who wasn't even half done.

"Hard to eat?" Aria asked, realising it was the first time Ezra had eaten since his accident. He nodded his head painfully and Aria brushed his hair to the side and frowned. There was a knock on the door and Hanna, Caleb, Emily, Mona, Spencer and Toby shuffled in, and Ezra's room was full. Ezra smiled at them all and thanked them for coming. Toby gave Ezra the local newspaper.

"I don't know if you like reading the paper, but you read so I guess this is kinda a book, plus, you're front page," Toby grinned uncomfortably. He didn't know if Ezra would like to read about last night but he left the paper on the bedside table.

"Thanks Toby, I don't usually read the paper but something tells me I will later." Ezra grinned to him. After a while everyone started leaving. There weren't enough chairs in the room and it was kind of full of people and started to get stuffy. Once all of their friends left, Byron and Ella said they had to leave for a while, but Mike said he was staying.

"But Aria, you stink and I'll keep Ezra company for a while, go home and shower and change." Mike teased, and after debate Aria agreed, but she would be back in an hour.

"Ezra, do you want anything from your apartment?" Aria asked before she left.

"Maybe another shirt or two," Ezra replied and shrugged. Aria kissed him on the forehead and then left with her parents. Mike and Ezra went through all the TV channels looking for something decent on, but found nothing. Mike called Aria.

"Hey, are you still at home?" Mike asked Aria.

"Yeah, I'm just about to leave for Ezra's and then come back, why what's up?" Aria replied, Mike could hear her rushing around.

"Can you go into my room and grab the books and papers on my desk and bring them?" Mike asked.

"Uh yeah sure. I gotta go, I'll see you in a bit, bye," Aria said and quickly hung up. She grabbed the things from Mike's desk and put them in a bag. She grabbed her bag and went to the car after calling a goodbye to her parents.

She got to Ezra's house and found his spare key under the mat. She went in and grabbed a few of Ezra's favourite shirts. She saw his bookshelf and decided to pick a few books for him. She grabbed his laptop and gathered everything up and left. When she returned to the hospital Mike was laughing and Ezra was trying his best not to laugh. Aria walked in cautiously. Ezra's face was engulfed by a massive grin when he saw her and she felt her face the same, she couldn't stop worrying about him the whole time she was away from him. She gave him a kiss and handed the bag to Mike, full of his papers and put hers and Ezra's on the floor near the bed.

"I brought you a few shirts, books and your laptop, I thought you might get bored," Aria smiled.

"Oh thanks," Ezra replied with a smile.

"I bought you my English paper, if you get really bored and want to tell me all about this book again," Mike grinned and Ezra and Aria laughed and shook their heads. Ezra launched into a massive spiel on the book and soon Mike was regretting asking him to explain the book, he was having trouble keeping up. Aria saw him looking confused and laughed. Ezra stopped and looked at her in confusion, giving Mike enough time to catch up. Ezra took a breath and continued, and Aria gave Mike a wink and grin when he mouthed 'Thank you' to her.

After Ezra had helped Mike with his paper and Mike thanked him, they sat around and talked for a while. A nurse came in with Ezra's dinner and as soon as she left Ezra screwed up his face in disgust at the food. They all laughed and Aria went down and brought all three of them food and took it back up to Ezra's room. Both the boys' faces lit up at the selection of food and soon it was all gone, except Ezra's share, which he was eating as fast as he could, but it was still really slow. Around 8pm Byron called Mike telling him that he was on the way to pick him up and Mike groaned. He didn't have anything to do and it was pretty fun sitting with Aria and Ezra all day. Aria gave him a hug and Ezra fist-bumped him and then he trudged out the door and down to the car park. Aria moved onto Ezra's bed and laid there with him in silence for a while.

"Today was fun, besides the fact we're still in here," Aria mumbled to Ezra who nodded and agreed. "Do you want your laptop or a book or something?" Aria asked, and Ezra asked for a book and Aria grabbed it and was quite happy to lie next to Ezra and watch him read. Aria fell asleep on Ezra's shoulder sometime around 11pm and soon Ezra's head fell onto hers as he slept.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry guys, this chapter isn't my best or most exciting, and it's pretty short.. I just thought I'd give you an idea of what it's like at Ezra's apartment now he's back and what he does, there's going to be a time jump of 5 days at the start of next chapter, when Aria's parents leave. Thanks for the reviews, it's good to hear positive things coming back, but if there's anything you'd like to see, or anything you'd like to see more of, just review and tell me and I'll find a place to put it in :) Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Four days later Aria was waiting while Ezra put his shorts and a shirt on, ready to leave the hospital. He came out and sat in the wheelchair.

"I can't believe I have to leave in this thing," Ezra mumbled, embarrassed.

"Well they don't want you hurting yourself before you even get out," Aria grinned and kissed his forehead and then began to push him out of the room and down the hall.

Aria drove them to his apartment and helped him up the stairs. He winced in pain at having to jump all the way up the three flights of stairs before he got to the corridor on his level. Aria opened the door and Ezra went in on his crutches, finding the couch and collapsed onto it. He instantly regretted not carefully sitting down because his ribs ached again. Aria put the things from his bag away and then came and sat next to him and brushed his hair to the side.

"Glad to be home?" Aria asked, kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder on his good side.

"Yeah, I hated not being able to do anything in that bed, but now I can't do anything on the couch," Ezra sighed. "I love you for taking care of me these past few days, but you haven't seen any of your friends. Do you want to go see them? I'm sure I can take care of myself for a while," Ezra smiled as Aria thought about it. She had wanted to see her friends but didn't want to leave Ezra in case he needed something.

"Okay, but I'll only be gone for a few hours and I'll bring you everything you need," Aria agreed and Ezra smiled and nodded. Aria called Emily, who was at Hanna's with Spencer already so Aria said she would be over soon. She hung up and grabbed some food and water for Ezra as well as a few book, the TV remote and his laptop. He smiled when she sat down next to him again with everything on the coffee table within reaching distance. He guided her face to his with his fingers under her chin and they kissed. Aria smiled against his lips and when they broke apart she laughed.

"Now I won't be gone long, but if you need me, call me straight away and I'll keep my phone on me," Aria instructed him with a grin and he nodded and waved as she left.

Aria went and saw her friends at Hanna's, and they talked and after a few hours Aria decided to get back to Ezra's apartment, after she went home and grabbed a few things. She said goodbye to her friends and a short time later she was at home. She talked with her parents for a while and they finally agreed to let her stay at Ezra's for the night to look after him.

"Oh and by the way, we're leaving in 5 days, to go travelling. I hope that's okay considering the circumstances?" Ella asked Aria before she went upstairs, and Aria agreed and smiled. Aria went up to her room and grabbed some clothes and a few other things and then she drove back to Ezra's apartment.

Aria got to the apartment and found the spare key and let herself in. Ezra was snoring quietly on the couch with a book open on his lap. Aria smiled to herself and carefully picked up the book and put it on the coffee table next to Ezra. She must have brushed against him because he stirred and smiled sleepily when he saw her.

"How is everyone?" Ezra mumbled, still half sleep.

"They're all good, and glad to hear you're safe and well back here. Oh and I dropped in home and my parents said they're leaving in 5 days," Aria replied and brushed his hair to the side because it was all messy on his face from sleeping. He smiled and yawned.

"What's the time anyway?" Ezra asked, and then remembered he has a watch and laughed. He looked down and saw it was almost time for dinner. Aria looked to and was surprised. She'd stayed at Hanna's for longer than she thought.

"I'll cook enhanced macaroni and cheese?" Aria suggested. Ezra laughed at her name of the dish she loves and shrugged then nodded.

Soon Aria was putting food onto two plates and carried them over to Ezra on the couch. Ezra smiled and gave Aria a quick kiss before starting to eat. They ate in silence with the TV on, enjoying the time in the apartment.

"Oh, and my parents said I can stay over tonight to look after you," Aria smiled and kissed his cheek before eating more macaroni and cheese. Ezra's face lit up as he ate and he smiled at her. When they finished, Aria took the plates and cleaned the kitchen. Ezra was looking through some movies that were sitting on the coffee table.

"Okay which movie do you want to watch?" Ezra said when Aria returned. She picked a movie and put it on and then cuddled up to Ezra's good side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Aria had fallen asleep during the movie but was woken up when Ezra went up to go to the bathroom. She yawned and looked at the time. It was not even 9pm and she was already tired. Ezra came back and Aria let him back into his spot and then returned to her position on him again and pressed play and the movie continued.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Five days later, Aria had driven Ezra around to her house to see her parents off for their travelling. Ezra was sitting on the couch and Mike was helping Byron put the suitcases and bags into the car. Aria was talking with her mum at the front door. Mike and Byron returned with everything in the car.

"Okay. We're all set, you ready for the trip of your life Ella?" Byron asked and they all laughed. Ella nodded and a huge smile broke across her worried face. She gave Ezra a small; gentle hug and then Mike, who was trying his hardest not to let anyone see his watery eyes, and then Aria who didn't try to hide it at all. Byron gave Ezra a handshake and his kids a tight hug.

He gave them another speech about all the rules and Aria and Mike laughed through their tears.

"Oh, and we've decided Ezra can stay here as long as he likes, so he doesn't have to keep trying to get up all those stairs," Byron smiled at Aria and Mike before turning to Ezra and giving him a small pat on the shoulder. Aria's face had a huge smile on it and Ezra laughed in shock and then thanked Byron and Ella.

"But of course you'll have to sleep on the couch or up in Aria's bed and she'll sleep in ours or on the couch," Byron turned serious and both Aria and Ezra nodded and agreed. Aria gave her parents one last hug before they left and she stood at the window with Mike and watched their car drive off until it was out of sight. Aria sighed and gave Mike a small comforting hug before going to sit with Ezra.

"So you can stay here, how awesome is that!" Aria smiled to Ezra who was nodding his head in agreement and smiling also.

"Yeah, so you can look after us Mr. Fitz, I hope you're responsible," Mike joked as he walked past, and then upstairs. Aria and Ezra laughed, and Ezra brushed her hair out of her face and leaned into a kiss. They broke apart when they heard Mike jumping down the stairs and looked expectantly to the bottom of the flight. Mike landed with a final jump and looked sheepishly at the two sitting on the couch looking at him.

"What?" Mike laughed as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed some food. Aria's phone rang and it was Spencer. She got up and walked into the hallway to talk to her.

"Can I come crash at yours for a while? Melissa is driving me insane with Ian and he won't stop crying. I thought infants weren't supposed to cry all the time!" Spencer wailed into the phone. Aria could hear Spencer's nephew screaming in the background and laughed.

"Yeah sure, Ezra's over because my parents just left for their trip and he wanted to see them off with us," Aria replied, still laughing slightly.

"Okay thank you, I'll be over really soon, and why do you keep laughing?" Spencer asked wearily.

"The fact that you still don't like Ian, he's your only nephew and you can't stand him," Aria shook her head and then after Spencer tried to argue she hung up.

She turned to Ezra and smiled as he talked to Mike. Once they finished their conversation he turned to her, sensing she was looking at him.

"Spencer will be over soon, Ian is driving her crazy. Again," Aria laughed and Ezra chuckled.

"I've never met someone so repulsed by their own family," Mike added, laughing at the memory of when Melissa first brought Ian home and Spencer practically ran out of the house over to Aria's.

About five minutes later Spencer was knocking on the door. Mike answered the door and led her to the living room, where Ezra was sitting on the couch with his leg up, flicking through the TV channels and Aria was sitting next to him. Spencer mumbled a hello to them all.

"Aria have you got any really strong painkillers in here?" Spencer asked, walking into the kitchen to raid the cupboards.

"Yeah, up in the cupboard above the drawers. Ian give you another migraine?" Aria laughed and Ezra was trying his hardest not to crack a smile. Spencer walked back in with a glass of water and two pills before stopping and seeing Aria quietly laughing and Ezra obviously trying not to smile.

"What? Have I got something on my face or something?" Spencer asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"No, I just find it funny how you're never in pain, except for when Ian is around," Aria burst out laughing and Ezra finally began to chuckle.

Spencer's mouth dropped open and then she scowled at the two.

"Well I told you he was a devil didn't I. I'm glad my pain amuses you both," Spencer took the pills and then sat on the armchair and sighed.

They sat around and talking for a while and then Spencer received a call from Toby and excused herself. Aria went and got three drinks from the fridge and handed one to Ezra and put the other on the table for Spencer. Spencer came back holding her hand over the phone

"Hey Aria, can Toby come over for a while?" Spencer asked and Aria smiled and nodded. She talked with Ezra for a few minutes and then Spencer was back and thanked Aria for letting Toby over and for the drink. They talked some more until there was a knock on the door and Spencer jumped up and opened it. Toby was caught by surprise when Spencer immediately kissed her but then backed outside a little more and closed the door, not breaking the contact between his lips and Spencer's. Aria nestled her head to Ezra's shoulder and took in a deep breath. Ezra ran his fingers idly along Aria's arm and then kissed her head. She looked into his eyes and they kissed gently, still aware of Ezra's injuries. Spencer and Toby soon joined them. After a while of more talking Ezra's stomach rumbled and Aria looked out at the window and noticed it was getting dark.

"Do you two want to stay for dinner, I might cook something or we'll just order?" Aria suggested and when they decided to order takeaway Aria yelled up to Mike who was in his room. He wanted takeaway too so Aria ordered pizza.

After they ate Mike and Spencer helped Aria clean up and wash the dishes in the kitchen while Toby and Ezra chatted in the living room. Ezra hadn't moved from his position on the couch except to go to the bathroom.

"So how's your ribs, do they feel any less painful?" Toby asked, remembering when he was injured falling from some scaffolding last year.

"Yeah well, I'm not in constant pain because of them, but every time I move I feel it, hopefully in a week or two they'll be better, well at least good enough for me to be on my feet most of the time," Ezra replied, a hand going to his broken ribs.

"Hopefully. You're going to start getting fat if you sit around and do nothing for too much longer," Toby joked and Aria came in from the kitchen and lightly whacked him on the shoulder.

"Ezra's not going to gain much weight or he'll have to go on a diet soon," Aria laughed and Ezra shook his head as Toby started laughing. When Spencer and Mike returned minutes later Spencer decided to head home to spend some time with Toby. They all said goodbye and soon Ezra had his arm around Aria and Mike was lounging on the armchair next to them. Mike picked a movie and put it on. It was quite a gory movie so Aria spent most of the movie with her hands covering her face or buried into Ezra.

Mike began to laugh and Aria looked at the screen, just in time to see someone get his head chopped off. She screamed and buried her face into Ezra who tightened his hold on her and shook his head. Mike laughed even louder and his sister. When the movie finished Mike went up to his room, and Aria was still burying her face into Ezra's shirt moaning.

"That was the worst movie ever!" Aria mumbled into Ezra who shook his head and laughed.

"Really, I thought it was bloody good," Ezra joked using the blood reference well. Aria couldn't help but laugh at the reference. After her parents called to check up on them all she picked a more suitable movie and they sat and watched, this time Aria didn't have to bury her face into Ezra every second scene.

At the end of the movie it was close to 11pm so Aria went up and sorted the sleeping arrangements and then came back down to Ezra on the couch.

"Okay, I thought you'd feel weird sleeping in my parents bed, so you can sleep in my room and I'll sleep in their bed. Sound okay?" Aria asked Ezra who was starting to get up. He nodded his head as they got to the foot of the stairs. Aria helped him jump up the stairs and then down the hallway to her room. Mike opened the door and yelled a goodnight to them both before closing the door again. Aria helped Ezra into her bed and put his crutches against her bedside table. He brought her down to lie next to him and they laid there in peaceful silence, looking into each other's eyes. Aria yawned after a while.

"I'm going to go to bed. You alright in here?" Aria asked after giving him a gentle kiss. Ezra smiled and nodded and then pulled her in for a heated kiss. They broke apart and their breath was ragged. Aria smiled her huge smile when she got her breath back.

"Goodnight, I love you," Aria said to him and they kissed again.

"Sleep tight. I love you too," Ezra replied and after one final kiss Aria reluctantly walked out of her room and closed the door.

She walked into her parent's room and a wave of sadness overcame her. She finally realised her parents wouldn't be around for six weeks and she didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that. She shook the thoughts away as she though of Ezra sleeping in her room just down the hall, and got into bed. She smiled to herself as her mind went blank and sleep took over.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry! It's been a while since I've uploaded, so I decided to get you all a treat at the end of this chapter to thank you for being patient and reading this story :) Thank you all for the awesome reviews, it's good to see positive feedback coming in. Enjoy and I'll try publish the next chapter in a few days :)**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Aria was sitting in the waiting room with Ezra. The doctor came out and called his name and Aria helped him up and followed him down the wallpapered hall and then into a white room where the doctor was sitting down, and motioned for Ezra and Aria to sit in the empty seats near him.

"Okay, so let's get this cast off and then get an x-ray, then we'll know if I need to put another on or not," the doctor said, putting his chart down on his desk and getting up. It was five weeks after Aria's parents had left to go travelling, and six weeks since Ezra's accident. The doctor sawed the cast off Ezra's leg and then helped him into the x-ray room and Aria sat anxiously waiting.

Ezra came back in limping a little and then laid on the bed, waiting for the doctor to return with the results. When the doctor returned he began prodding in different places on Ezra's leg and Aria winced in pain, but Ezra showed no pain, it seemed his leg was healed. Ezra grinned at Aria and she smiled back at him.

The doctor was called out and when he returned he was holding the x-ray. He clipped it to the board and examined it.

"Looks pretty good to me, I can't see any clear breaks or imperfections on the bone so it looks like you're free of the burden of the cast," the doctor explained and then smiled at Ezra and Aria. Ezra laughed and Aria had a huge smile on her face. Aria gave Ezra a quick congratulations peck on the lips and then thanked the doctor.

After a little while Ezra had paced back and forth getting used to putting weight on his leg and began to lose his limp. When he could put full weight on his leg and walk fairly normally the doctor said he was free to go. Ezra gave the doctor a warm handshake and thanked him. Aria thanked the doctor once again and laced her fingers in Ezra's and walked with him out to the car. Ezra insisted on driving to test his skills out, and after a few trials of his foot, they were on their way home.

Mike was lounging on the couch flicking through the TV channels waiting for Ezra and Aria to return. When he heard the key in the front door lock he jumped up and ran to the entry. Ezra walked in and Aria followed behind.

"Yay! You're normal again!" Mike shouted and gave Ezra a bear hug. Aria saw Ezra's face start to go red and whacked Mike on the back and he let go and smiled sheepishly. The three began talking and then Mike returned to his position on the couch and Aria walked off to call her parents and tell them the news. Ezra stretched his legs out and smiled to himself.

"Shame you can't sleep over anymore now you're not a special case with your broken leg and all," Mike joked, and Ezra jumped at the sound of his voice in the silence. Ezra shrugged and then laughed.

"Oh well. I'll drive home, go to sleep and then wake up and come back here," Ezra teased and Mike nodded. Aria came back into the room and handed Mike her phone.

"Dad wants to talk to you. Have fun," Aria waved him away. She came to where Ezra had his legs stretched out and tugged his shorts once.

"I'm not used to seeing half of your legs, and both of them," Aria joked. But it was true; Ezra always wore long pants, except for if he was going for a run.

"Oh yeah. I don't own many of them, I don't like them very much," Ezra agreed laughing and then pulled Aria down so she was sitting on his lap and they smiled at each other. Aria leaned down into a kiss and Ezra responded and brought her closer to him in a tight embrace. From the doorway Mike cleared his throat and they both jumped and turned quickly to him. He was standing there with a smug look on his face like he was a father who'd just caught his daughter and her boyfriend making out. Aria scowled at him and got up and grabbed the phone he was holding out. Mike mouthed 'it's your mother' to her and she rolled her eyes at him. She took the phone and walked into the kitchen and Mike walked towards Ezra and began chuckling.

"Your face was classic! It's like you're teenagers I swear," Mike joked and punched Ezra lightly on the arm.

"Shut up," Ezra mumbled into his hands and shook his head and then finally laughed as he pictured his face.

When Aria returned, she looked at the clock on her phone and gasped. It was 6 o'clock and she hadn't started dinner yet.

"Mike, do you want to pay for takeaway or cook, or do you want me to?" Aria asked him, he was lounging on the chair in his previous position and grunted a reply she couldn't understand. She looked to Ezra in confusion.

"I think he said you?" Ezra suggested, uncertainly. Aria sighed and walked into the kitchen to begin cooking. She'd gotten everything out and started when she felt the familiar hands tighten around her waist. Ezra kissed the side of her head.

"Enhanced macaroni and cheese?" Ezra guessed. Aria laughed and nodded. She turned around in his arms and looked into his eyes. She smiled and pulled his head gently down for their unfinished kiss. Ezra hoisted her up on a clear space on the bench. Aria felt his tongue slip into her mouth and she gladly opened her mouth a little wider to give him more access. When they broke apart Aria smiled to him and brushed his hair to the side and then rested her hands around his neck. Ezra's hands slid down her back and rested on the bench behind her. They both jumped when the water from the pot boiled over and onto the stove and began hissing. Ezra laughed and Aria quickly jumped down and took the lid off and cleaned the mess.

"No more distractions while I cook dinner, or you're going to end up eating charcoal," Aria mumbled as she swiped at the steam in front of her face. Ezra laughed and leaned against the opposite bench.

"Okay, deal. Would you like some help or are you good with me watching from a safe distance?" Ezra asked and then smirked at her still trying to push all the steam away from her face with her hands waving around in the air.

"No, I'm good. You stand there and watch the expert over here," Aria joked. Ezra chuckled and settled into the bench to watch the show.

Mike had set the table and soon Ezra was helping Aria carry the food out from the kitchen to the table and Mike jumped up from the couch and practically ran to the table. He looked hungry and hardly waited for Aria and Ezra to sit down before he began dishing out his own food. Ezra grinned at him and Aria shook her head. They began eating and made small talk, but Mike only mumbled and grunted because he was wolfing down his food.

Mike's phone rang as he was taking his plate into the kitchen and he answered and began talking. Aria rolled her eyes and looked to Ezra who chuckled. They both knew Mike had just gotten out of doing the dishes, again.

"So I'm going out, and probably going to sleep over at Noel's, is that okay?" Mike asked when he came back in, putting his phone in his pocket and looking to Aria. She shrugged.

"You gotta call Dad and ask him, it's fine by me," Aria replied and then got up and started clearing the table. Mike ran up the stairs, dialling Byron's phone. Ezra helped clear the table and began to wash the dishes when Mike jumped down the stairs and then leaned on the bench.

"I'm going now, I'll be home tomorrow some time. I'll text you when I know more," Mike said and gave Ezra a light punch on the arm and said goodbye to Aria before they had a chance to speak. Ezra shook his head and Aria looked at him.

"Men," Aria teased and bumped Ezra lightly with her hip. He grinned and flicked water on her. She screamed and took a step back. Her face turned evil and she splashed Ezra, wetting his shirt so it clung to his chest. He just grinned at her before pulling her into his arms. She reached up on her toes for a kiss, and Ezra bent down to relive her. He picked her up and put her on the bench.

"Time to finish what was interrupted before," Ezra mumbled into Aria's lips and she laughed and tightened her hands around his neck and in his hair. Ezra's arms slipped around the bottom of her back and pulled her closer to him. Aria gave a short laugh into Ezra's mouth when she started to feel the water from his shirt seep into hers and she pulled back a little to look at it.

"Your fault, not mine," Ezra teased and started to unbutton his shirt. Aria watched as he shrugged his shirt off and hung it over a chair to dry it. She grinned at the sight of his bare chest and when he was within arms reach she began tracing her fingers along his skin. Ezra gave a small shiver of pleasure show and he brushed Aria's hair off her face and looked into her eyes. Her fingers began to move slower until they came to a stop at the place where his ribs were broken a few weeks ago and then smiled at him.

He couldn't resist any longer. He took Aria's lips in his and they kissed deeply and passionately. Aria's hands slid up his bare back and into his hair. Ezra began to lift Aria's shirt, sending an unasked question. Aria nodded and lifted her shirt off and was careful where she threw it, because they were in the kitchen and she didn't want to cause a fire or something. She watched it as it landed on the clear table and then returned to Ezra's mouth. He hitched her up onto his waist and began to carry her out to the couch. Aria slid comfortably under Ezra and after a few more minutes of intense kissing Aria tugged at Ezra's belt.

They both looked to the door and then decided to take it upstairs. Aria quickly grabbed her shirt from the kitchen and then led Ezra up the stairs and into her room. Ezra closed the door with his foot and smiled hungrily at Aria. She pulled him on top of her as she fell onto the bed. She once again tugged at his belt and he quickly kicked his pants off after undoing his belt and they landed with a thud on the floor.

Aria and Ezra laced their fingers together and held that hand up on the pillow and continued kissing. Aria felt something brush against her leg and knew how turned on Ezra was. She grinned and undid her bra and threw it onto the floor. Ezra's lips left hers and began to make a trail down her neck and along her collarbone. He continued to leave hot kisses down her chest and then made his way back up. Aria moaned and she felt Ezra smile against her neck. He returned to her lips and they began to passionately kiss once again.

Aria wriggled out of her pants and kicked them to the floor, then wrapped her legs around Ezra's back to bring him even closer. Ezra and Aria broke apart to discard their underwear at the same time and then came back together. Aria gently guided Ezra's head down and he left another trail of fiery kissed down her chest, but continued down. He began to work on Aria as she gasped loudly as the sensation of his tongue. She moaned in pleasure and arched. Ezra made his way back up to her mouth and captured her lips in his.

He slid his tongue in once again and Aria gently dug her fingers into his shoulder blades, he smiled against her, taking the sign and then thrust into Aria and they both let out a loud moan. Their breathing became rapid and Aria pressed herself against Ezra's chest, closing all the space between them. Ezra began slow and deep thrusts and Aria let out another moan of pleasure. Ezra smirked and then got caught up in the pleasure he increased his pace.

They rolled over without disturbing their rhythm and Aria was now on top of Ezra and they were in sync once again. Aria screamed out in pleasure and her whole body shook in pleasure and just after Ezra felt the same sensation rock his body. Aria lay next to Ezra with her head on his chest and they caught their breath. Ezra kissed the top of her head and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I love you Aria," Ezra whispered into her ear and Aria's face broke into a wide smile.

"Lucky for you I love you too," Aria replied, looking up into Ezra's bright blue eyes before planting a single kiss on his chest. She could hear his heart beating fast in his chest and she smiled to herself.

"Your heart is racing," Aria mumbled into Ezra's chest and she felt him laugh.

"That's all you Aria, it tends to do that when you're around," Ezra sincerely replied, as he softly stroked her bare arm.


End file.
